DENR targets 6,000 patents for Abra

BANGUED, Abra, June 20 (PIA) — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has targeted to accomplish 6,000 patents for Abra this year.

The 6,000 patents for Abra represent 75 percent of the 8,000 patents for agricultural lands targeted for the entire Cordillera region for 2013.

With this, Engr. Ernesto Aton of the DENR is urging all landowners in the province to apply for their land survey and land titling because this project is free as it is being funded by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program of the Department of Agrarian Reform.

Aton said that the free land survey and land titling also cover residential lots that is why everyone is urged to avail of this government program.

In another development, Aton said that they have doubled their target of 5,000 hectares in 20 barangays for planting several species of forest trees and fruit-bearing trees under the National Greening Program (NGP) of President Benigno S. Aquino.

The plantations are contracted out to the forest dwellers themselves and people’s organizations through the Community-Based Forest Management Program (CBFM), a stewardship program of the DENR.

Through the CBFM, the participants in the NGP are given livelihood projects during the plantation period and the growing period of the trees.

Aton said that in the end, the NGP participants also benefit directly from the fruits of the plantations, because they themselves will be harvesting their own plants when the trees are ready for harvest.